Cemetery Report : May 19, 2012 " I heard a Belch from below......."
List user 5/27/2012, 11:41:25 AM Mid morning for a change and its 61F/16C and I'm in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. And what's even more different than usual , is, I'm not alone this time. I have an old friend, Paula Yoder, from this part of the world, who will join me in the cemetery tour. Funny, while in the motel room, Sue says, "I think Paula has arrived out front", so I headed for the front door, opened it, and sure enough Paula was heading to the door. I stepped out forgetting there was a good drop from the door and kind of ran right into her waiting arms, what a great hug, and I didn't knock her over...................LOL So now Paula and I are off to Evergreen Cemetery . This cemetery is in great condition. On the other hand I'll just bet there is tons of security here so not to much can go wrong. Being back to back with the National Cemetery. I was surprised to see an abundance of blue birds(not blue jays) all over the cemetery, they sure were pretty to look at. I can also boast that we now have two bird houses in our own backyard that have blue birds in them now. :) We also got lucky having a great day to do cemetery roaming.................. Schmucker Duncan 1871-1957. Forgot to mention this cemetery also had an abundance of peeps,"gold finches". Beuiah J. Spangler Born Sept 27, 1848 and died Dec 29, 1932. (< is this the guy who owned Spangler's Creek?) Jennie Wade (< the only civilian killed at the Battle of Gettysburg. ) 20 years and 2 months old, Killed July 3, 1863, while making bread for the Union Soldiers. (P). Retura E. Erb died Sept 12, 1864 age 8 years 5 months and 25 days. J. Sentman 1853-1939 (P). Catherine Lease died Aug 19, 1907 age 85 years 9 months and 14 days. Henry B. Weaner Born Sept 22, 1827 and died April 2, 1886 (P). Bellmina Culp died June 21, 1861 age 6 years 8 months and 2 days. Jessie A. Easterday 1882-1972. Gen. James Gettys , Proprietor of Gettysburg, Born Aug 14, 1759 and died March 13, 1815 Revolutionary War Vet (P). Luckett A. Bush 1870-1949. Br. Lt. Col. Emmor B. Cope Born July 23, 1834 and died May 28, 1927. Civil War Arantza Alcorta Murphy 1965-_ _ _ _ . Gregory Ashton Coco Born May 4, 1946 and died Feb 11, 2009 (P). Mary E. Belch (< please excuse her.....) 1834-1910 (P). < I think I heard her before I saw her grave, what a great baritone belch she did........................ Anna M. Socks died Oct 16, 1881 age 82 years 2 months and 4 days (P).(< I'll just bet her socks are dirty/stinky by now) Not finished but Paula has had enough of this for today. I think I explained everything I knew about cemeteries to her.............bet she's board...................LOL Vacated at 12:22PM and walked 3.7 miles in this "Weeping Grounds" @ 82F/28C. I returned here after saying good bye to Paula for the day and will now try and finish up. And as I told Paula, at a much faster pace, as I wont be explaining things. Not to take that the wrong way, I enjoyed her company very much and enjoyed explaining things to her. 1:37PM starts the afternoon shift here to finish........................ :) Henry Barber Nixon PHD. Born at Winfall, North Carolina Sept 9, 1857 and died March 30, 1916. Dassey Smith 8 months. John Troxell Senator, 1st settler of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Born at Bethleham, Pennsylvania May 3, 1801 and died April 2, 1855. Bain Goodson Born Sept 21, 1882 and died Oct 6, 1945. Hooper P. Caffey Pvt. Co H, 3rd Alabama Infantry Confederate States of America Born March 26, 1837 and died Sept 13, 1863. (< This guy is one of two Confederate soldiers buried in this cemetery. It might be noted also that there are no Confederate soldiers buried in the cemetery next door, The National Cemetery of Gettysburg, at least, that they know of.) Marcus Aurelius Past Co. D Minn. Inf. (P), no dates. Col. Hance Hamilton 1721-Feb 2,1772, Hero of the French and Indian War, 1st Sheriff of York and Adams Counties.(As I was curious about this guy, I found the below biography on him which you might enjoy reading also) Historical Biography Col. Hance Hamilton, the first sheriff of York County, and one of the most influential of the early settlers, was born in 1721, and died February 2, 1772, aged fifty-one years. In the first legal records of York County, he is generally alluded to as of Cumberland Township (now Adams County), though he probably died at his mill property in Menallen Township; his will having been executed in that township. The executors named in it are his brother, John Hamilton, Robert McPherson, Esq., and Samuel Edie, Esq. The active executor was Col. Robert McPherson. His remains were first interred in what is known as Blacks graveyard, the burying-ground of the Upper Marsh Creek Presbyterian Church, where they reposed for eighty years, and were then dis-interred and placed a short distance south of the eastern entrance of Evergreen Cemetery, at Gettysburg. Concerning the headstone, which is now much weathered-beaten, the following receipt will be persued with interest: Received 2nd of September, 1772, of Robert McPherson, fifteen shillings, for making a headstone for Hance Hamiltons grave.Adam Ling.0-15-0. The signature to this document is in German. Among the first public trusts with which Hamilton was charged, was the will of his brother James Hamilton, made June 23, 1748, in the County of Lancaster. York County was informed the next year. It was acknowledged in the presence of Abraham Lowry, William Brown, and James McGinly. The will was proven before Sa. Smith, Esq., of Newberry Manor, west of the Susquehanna, December 22, 1748. The estate amounted £139 13s 7d.York County was erected by an act of Assembly, August19, 1749. In October of that year an election was held for sheriff and coroner, when Hance Hamilton was elected to the former office, and Nicholas Ryland to the latter. These officers were at that time elected annually, and at the next election in 1750, a serious riot ensued between the supporters of Hance Hamilton, and those of his opponent, Richard McAllister, the founder of Hanover, as a result of which the sheriff refus! ed to go on with the election. The coroner, Ryland, opened another box, with other officers and took votes until evening. At the general county election in those days, all persons who voted, were required to go to York. There was but one poll in the county. At the election, the sheriff is represented, in his own statement, as having declined to assist in counting the tickets, and to make a return, giving as his reason that he was drove by violence from the place of election, and by the same violence was prevented from returning there, whereby it was not in his power to do his duty, and therefore could not make no return. On a public hearing by the Provincial Governor and Council at Philadelphia, it was unanimously agreed that it was not owing to Hamilton that the election was obstructed, and likewise that he could not, in his circumstances, as proved by the witnesses, make a return. The governor therefore, granted Hamilton a commission as! sheriff during his pleasure. The court of York, in view of his absenc e of a return, directed that the commissioners and assessors for the previous year serve for another year until there shall be a new election. As a result of this riot, and consequent want of a return, York County was without representation in the General Assembly for that year. In 1751, Hance Hamilton was again re-elected sheriff, with Alexander Love as coroner. After the expiration of his term of office as sheriff, Hamilton became one of the judges of the court of common pleas of York County. In April, 1756, as captain, he commanded a company of Provincial troops from York County, that took part in the French and Indian war. He was at Fort Littleton (now in Fulton County), where he wrote a letter describing the capture by the Indians of McCords Fort. He was at Fort Littleton in the fall of 1757. He was also in Armstrongs expedition against Kittaning, where a bloody and important victory over the Indians was won by the Scotch-Irish of the border. On the 31st of May 1758, he was commissioned by William Denny, Lieutenant Governor, as Lieutenant Colonel of the First Battalion of the Pennsylvania Regiment of foot soldiers in pay of the Province. Col. Hamilton carefully kept all his business documents, and many of them, including the executors accounts, are now in possession of Hon. Edward McPherson of Gettysburg. Among them is his will, dated January 27, 1772, only four days before his death. It was probated March 11, 1772, a receipt of James McClure was given 10s 6d for expenses laid out in attending at York to prove the will, also a receipt of Sarah Black for £3 2s 6d for two gallons of liquor and three gallons of rum, expended at the funeral of Hance Hamilton. At the wakes in those days, it was a common custom to use liquors. His personal property was sold March 19-20, 1772. Among the articles advertised were six Negroes,! two of which are men well acquainted with farming business, one very likely wench, two fine promising boys and one child. There were quite a number of slaves in his township at the date of his death. What they brought is not known. On the 26th of September 1760, William Buchanan, of Baltimore Town, signed a receipt to Hance Hamilton of £200 for one Negro man; £70 for one Negro boy. Hamiltons real estate was sold April 1, 1773, to David McConaughy, Esq., Dr. William Cathcart and John Hamilton as trustees for his heirs. The entire estate was about £3,000 in Pennsylvania currency, nearly equally divided between personal and real property. This was a large amount for these colonial days. Nothing is definitely known of his children, except that one of them was apprenticed in September, 1767, to Dr. Robert Boyd, of Lancaster, to study physic and surgery, to stay two years, for a fee of £7! 0 for instruction. He graduated at the University of Pennsylv ania in 1768. The children mentioned in his will are Thomas, Edward, Harriet Sarah, married to Alexander McKean; Mary, married to Hugh McKean; Hance, Gawin, George, John, William and James. None of his descendants are now living in either York or Adams County. In his will among many other bequests, he left to his son, Thomas, a pair of silver mounted pistols, valued at £10; to his son, Hance, a pair of brass-barreled pistols and holster, valued at £5; to his son Gawin, a silver snuff box, valued at £2, and to his son George, a long gun valued at £2 10s, George also received a pair of silver buckles appraised at £5 10s. It would be exceedingly interesting to trace the history of these trophies, but of them nothing more can be authoritatively said, neither is it known where one of them now is. Hance Hamilton was a man of enterprise, great force of character and activity in public affairs. Had he lived during the Revolutionary period, he would doubtless have become a very conspicuous officer of that eventful war. He was a typical frontiersman, and located as nearly as can be determined at first in Sir William Keiths tract, called Newberry, and in 1746 became one of the most influential members of the Scotch-Irish settlement on Marsh Creek, near the site of Gettysburg. He was first chosen sheriff of York County, when but twenty-eight years of age, and died suddenly, when but fifty-one. Those twenty-three years were devoted to the care of his family, to the affairs of the community, and to the common ! dangers of the period. He died as the Revolutionary movement was gathering force. Had he lived he would, no doubt, have embraced the cause with ardor, and spent his strength, and if need be, his life, for the freedom of his country. Among the roll of the forty-nine officers of Scotland in 1649, was Sir Hance Hamilton, who obtained adjudicated lands in the Province to the amount of 1,000 acres. From him Col. Hance Hamilton of York County doubtless descended. Taken from the book, History of York County, Illustrated 1886 by John Gibson, Historical Editor Margaret Ann Lady Born April 6, 1816 and died March 22, 1898. (P) Tillie Gates Born at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Oct 12, 1843 and died July 13, 1885. Fannie Riggin Born at Salisbury, Maryland Nov 18, 1834 and died Sept 22, 1867. Fleming Gilliland Born 1796 and died Feb 23, 1860 age 70 years 5 months and 22 days. Covil F. Cress 1855-1929. I'm really enjoying seeing all these blue birds........................ Jennie Craig died Sept 30, 1863 age 28 years.(< I'm sick of her commercials) Jacob Noel Co. i 205th Pennsylvania Vols. died Nov 20, 1890 age 43 years wife Elizabeth C. died May 9, 1907 age 65 years and 9 days. Michel Harnish died June 11, 1887 age 75 years 4 months and 19 days. William F. Yeady Cpl. Co. M 5th Regt. Pennsylvania Inf. Spanish American War Born Jan 8, 1868 and died June 5, 1953. Goodly bunch of chipmunks in here also.................. Violet Mary Peck Born Dec 29, 1919 and died Aug 15, 1998. Marie Mimm Born Aug 7, 1928 and died Oct 23, 2007. Brinton H. Richwine Sr. 1898-1966 (P) Orlena Kathryn Hankey Born July 12, 1911 and died Nov 22, 1992 (P). Maynard R. Playfoot 1929-1968 (P). Paul Singmaster 1887-1950. Artemisia Coffinberry Born Jan 11, 1819 and died Dec 8, 1912 wife Salathiel Coffinberry Born Feb 26, 1809 and died Sept 20, 1889. 10 Children 71 Grandchildren 120 Great Grandchildren 20 Great Great Grandchildren Walked 7.3 miles for the day and picked up 1 flag in this "Eternal Bed" and vacated at 5:34PM @ 82F/27C. Had a great day partially with Paula, fun gal. Another great day with the Gettysburg dead. Best Bill
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